Picking device for zithers.



No. 769,518. PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904. W. R. VERSTRAELEN & C. ALTER. PIGKING DEVICE FOR ZITHERS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 20. 1904 N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES: INVENTORS lfflZz'anz J3. @atraeZen CZrz'SlzZ n 22128? 7 yif j ATTORA/ No. 769,518. PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904.

W. R. VERSTRAELEN 6: 0. ALTER PIGKING DEVIGE FOR ZITHBRS.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 20, 1904. N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W1 TNE 88E 8:

UNITED STATES Patented September 6, 1904.

WVILLIAM R. VERSTRAELEN AND CHRISTIAN ALTER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PICKING DEVICE FOR ZITHERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,518, dated. September 6, 1904.

On'ginal application filed September 3, 1903, Serial No. 171,752. Divided and this application filed April 20, 1904. Serial No. 204,307. (No model.)

To (LZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, IVILLIAM R. VERSTRAE- LEN and CHRISTIAN ALTER, both citizens of the United States, and residents of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Picking Devices for Zithers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, this being a division of the application for Letters Patent of the United States for a self-playing zither, Serial No. 171,752, filed by us September 3, 1903.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved picking device for selfplaying Zithers arranged to insure a proper automatic picking of the strings according to the notation of a note-sheet.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, as will be more fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a sectional plan view of the improvement. Fig. 2 is a like view of the same with the parts in a different position. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional front elevation of the pickers and the levers for imparting a swinging motion to the same, and Fig. 5 is a side elevation of part of one of the bass-strings of the zither.

On a suitably-constructed stand or support A is held a Zither or similar musical instrument B, having strings B stretched over a resonating-board B preferably disposed vertically on the front of the supportA, as plainly shown in the drawings. The strings B are adapted to be picked by a picking device provided with a picker bar or frame U, extendeach string B, the said proximately at right angles to the strings B.

Each picker 0 is provided at its free end 5 with an angular arm or lug (1*, adapted to engage the string, at the rear side thereof, to pick the string on swinging the picker-bar C forwardly, as hereinafter more fully described. Each picker C is pressed by a spring C against a stop C, preferably made of felt and secured to the top of the picker-bar C, as plainly shown in Fig. 4, so that the lug (1* of the picker-bar normally stands out of transverse alinement with its string B to allow the said lug O to pass between adjacent strings from the front of the same to the rear thereof, as will be readily understood by a comparison of Figs. 1 and 2. WV hen the picker-bar C is swung rearwardly, then the desired picker 0 5 receives a swinging motion from the right to the left to bring its lug U in alinement with its string, so that on the next forward swinging motion of the picker-bar C the string is sounded by the lugC. In order toimpartthis 7 swinging motion to a picker C at the time the latter is in a rearmost position, as shown in Fig. 1, a bell-crank lever Dis provided for each picker,the bell-crank lever beingfulcrumed on the picker-bar C, and its upper member engages the right-hand side of the picker between the fulcrum C thereof and the stop C, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The other member of each picker D is pivotally connected by a link D with a movable part of the self-playing instrument-such, for instance, as the movable part of a pneumati econnected with an action wind-chest, so that when this pneumatic is collapsed then a swinging motion is given by the corresponding link D to the picker-lever D to 5 impart a swinging motion to the picker C for swinging the lug C in alinement with the string to insure subsequent sounding thereof on the forward or outward swinging motion of the picker-bar O. 9

A swinging motion in a horizontal plane pickers standing apin transversel of the strin s B and on the that is transverse to the strings Bis given I: V r: 7 a V to the picker-bar L and for this purpose the ends of the picker-bar C are mounted on the top of the said picker-bar C are fulcrumed at (J horizontally-disposed pickers C one for l ers an opening crank-pins F of crank-disks F, secured on rock-shafts F disposed vertically and journaled in suitable bearings A, carried on the main stand A. The crank-disks F are provided with wrist-pins F pivotally connected by links I? with movable parts of the selfplaying instrument-for instance, with the movable parts of pneumatics F adapted to alternately collapse and open, so as to impart a rocking motion to the said crank-shafts 2 for the crank-disks F and crank-pins F to impart the desired swinging motion to the picker-bar C. In order to insure a uniform motion of the rock-shafts F the latter are provided with pulleys F, (see Fig. 3,) connected with each other by a band F so that the rocking motion given to one shaft by its pneumatic F to the link F is transmitted to the other rock-shaft in case the latters pneumatic does not act properly. In order to hold the connected rock-shafts in either of their two end positions, a link F is provided, pivotally connected with one of the pulleys F and with the free end of a spring F", attached to a bracket on the stand A.

In the self-playing zither, which forms the subject matter of the original application above referred to, the note-sheet is caused to travel by the action of a suitable motor over a tracker-board connected with a wind-chest, which in turn is connected with the pneumatics F and with the pneumatics for operating the levers D. The air in the windchest is exhausted by suitable bellows driven by the motor above referred to. As no special claim is made in this application for the mechanism just described, it is not deemed necessary to further describe and illustrate the same, especially as other suitable means may be employed to actuate the picker-bar C and the levers D in unison and at the proper time,

IVhen an aperture of the note-sheet uncovin the tracker-board, then the corresponding lever D is caused to swing to actuate its picker C for the latter to pick its string, and when the note-sheet again covers the tracker-board opening then the lever D is returned to its former position to allow the spring C to return the picker G to its inactive position against the stop C. The picker bar or frame G is continually rocked as long as the note-apertures pass over the trackerboard. It is, however, understood that the pickers C are actuated in unison with the swinging motion given to the picker-bar O for the pickers C to pick the strings at the proper time. hen a note-sheet aperture registers with a tracker-board opening, a full swinging motion is given to the picker bar or frame C, and this motion is controlled by apertures in the note-sheet, as more fully described in the application above referred to.

In order to insure a proper picking of the heavy or bass strings having a core 13* and wire covering B (see Fig. 5,) a portion of the said covering B is removed for the lug C of a corresponding picker to engage the bare core when picking the string.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- 7 1. A stringed musical instrument provided with a picking-frame mounted to swing over the strings, pickers fulcrumed on the said frame and having their free ends provided with angular arms for engaging the strings, and levers fulcrumed on the frame, for imparting a swinging motion to the said pickers.

2. A stringed musical instrument provided with a picking-frame mounted to swing over the strings, pickers fulcrumed on the said frame and having their free ends provided with angular arms for engaging the strings, levers fulcrumed on the frame, for imparting a swinging motion to the said pickers, and stops on the said frame, for limiting the return movement of the pickers.

3. A stringed musical instrument provided with a picking-frame mounted to swing over the strings, pickers fulcrumed on the said frame and having their free ends provided with angular arms for engaging the strings, levers fulcrumed on the frame, for imparting a swinging motion to the said pickers, stops on the said frame, for limiting the return movement of the pickers, and springs for normally holding the said pickers against the said stops.

4:. A stringed musical instrument provided with a picking-frame mounted to swing toward and from the strings, pickers fulcrumed on the said frame and having their free ends provided with angular arms for engaging the strings, the said pickers standing approximately at right angles to the said strings, and levers fulcrumed on the frame, for imparting a swinging motion to the said pickers.

5. A stringed musical instrument provided with a picking-frame mounted to swing over the strings, pickers fulcrumed on the said frame and having their free ends provided with angular arms for engaging the strings, levers fulcrumed on the frame, a swinging motion to the said pickers, rockshafts having crank-pins on which the said frame is mounted, and means for rocking the said shafts.

6. A stringed with a picking-frame mounted to swing over the strings, pickers fulcrumed on the said frame and having their free ends provided with angular arms for engaging the strings,

levers fulcrumed on the said frame, for impartlng a swinging motion to the said pickers, rock-shafts connected with each other, to rock for imparting musical instrument provided in unison, crank-pins on the rock-shafts and on which the frame is mounted, and means for imparting a rocking motion to the said rock-shafts.

7. A stringed musical instrument provided With a picking-frame mounted to swing over the strings, pickers fulcrumed on the said frame and having their free ends provided with angular arms for engaging the strings, levers fulcrumed on the said frame, for imparting a swinging motion to the said pickers, rock-shafts connected with each other, to rock in unison, crank-pins on the rock-shafts and on which the frame is mounted, means for imparting a rocking motion to the said rockshafts, means for connecting the said rockshafts with each other, to rock the same in unison, and a spring-pressed link connected with the said means.

8. A musical instrument having a string 2 consisting of a core-string and a covering, portions of the covering being removed to leave a portion of the core bare between the ends of the string.

9. A musical instrument having a string consisting of a core-string and a covering, portions of the covering being removed to leave a portion of the core bare between the ends 

